Chapter 646: Hot Pot Feast
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As the two were leaving, Ashes, who was behind the Fifth Princess, suddenly stopped and turned around, saying, "I owe you an apology, Your Majesty."
This was the first time Roland had heard her use honorifics to address him. "It's alright, I was also somewhat involved in what happened in the palace..."
"We all knew that wasn't you," Ashes shook her head. "That kind of person couldn't have led us to victory against the Church, nor could they have given witches full freedom and trust. I'm sorry, I only believed this after you defeated the Church." She paused. "Every witch will remember everything you've done, and you are more suitable to be Tilly's brother than he was."
For Ashes to say such words, it could only be said that Tilly herself thought the same. In the end, they never believed that he was the Fourth Prince... Roland was momentarily dumbfounded, but was this a different kind of recognition?
Looking at his smiling sister behind her, he suddenly understood something.
The Extraordinary Witch placed her right hand on her chest, bowed slightly, her black ponytail falling over her shoulder, her golden eyes like dazzling stars in the dusk.
"The Ashes Bringer salutes you, Your Majesty."
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Three days later, Andrea awaited the long-awaited farewell feast.
Not looking forward to leaving, but looking forward to the new delicacy proclaimed by His Majesty.
Since their last parting, she had been unable to forget what His Majesty said was even more delicious than ice cream, and she had been eagerly anticipating it ever since. However, the battle against the Church was of great importance, and she was too embarrassed to bring it up on her own initiative. Now, she could finally have her wish fulfilled.
The banquet was not held in the castle, but in the expanded back garden.
Walking through the olive tree-lined corridor and into the center of the garden, even before seeing the food, an extremely rich aroma had already entered Andrea's nose. Crystal fish from the Eternal Winter Glacier? Hundred-flavor eggs from Wolfheart Cliffs? Or the fjord rainbow trout, known for its freshness and fragrance? No... none of them. She had never smelled such a tempting scent before. Even the rarest ingredients could not produce such a rich aroma.
"I suddenly feel so hungry," Sylvie exclaimed.
"Have you always lived like this in the Western Region?" Molly licked her lips. "I'm so envious!"
"I haven't enjoyed it many times," Breeze put her arms around Lotus and Evelyn. "They are the ones you should envy."
"These kinds of banquets don't happen every day," Candle explained. "Even desserts are only made once every three days."
"Only three days..." Molly rubbed her forehead. "Why do I feel like you're showing off?"
"Eh, I'm not."
"Hey, don't drool," Ashes glanced at Andrea, even though her own throat was also bobbing up and down.
Andrea didn't retort as usual. Her attention was now completely focused on the several round tree stumps placed on one side of the garden.
At first glance, they looked like they had grown out of the ground, with thick trunks that would require seven people to embrace. In the middle, hot air was tumbling, as if something was burning.
When she got closer, she realized that the inside of the tree stumps had been hollowed out, and a large iron pot was placed on top. The rich aroma emanated from the soup in the pot.
On the low tables next to the tree stumps, there were piles of various foods—although there were many kinds, they were all ordinary things that could be eaten, and there were no rare dishes. Another puzzling thing for her was that these foods were all raw.
Andrea had never seen this kind of banquet before. There were no servants shuttling between the seats, no white cloth, music, or crowds of people. Everyone was sitting around the tree stumps, and judging from the looks of it, it seemed that they had to do it themselves.
Sure enough, after all the witches had arrived, Roland clapped his hands and announced the start of the banquet, "This is a hot pot feast. The way to eat it is very simple. Put your favorite food into the pot, cook it, and you can enjoy it!"
Autumn is a good season for hot pot. As a popular cooking method among the people, it is simple to operate and easy to understand at a glance. Even the simplest vegetarian dishes can be eaten with a delicious taste. The most important thing is that it is very down-to-earth. Diners gather together to share the delicacies in the same pot. Compared with traditional banquets that pay attention to style, it is easier to enhance mutual feelings, and as a farewell feast, it can also dispel the reluctance and low mood in everyone's hearts.
The essence of hot pot lies in the soup. The cooking methods of this era are very monotonous, usually one ingredient is one flavor, so it is particularly important to the quality of the ingredients themselves. Roland ordered the chef to mix various foods with unique flavors—such as whole chicken, pork bones, bird's kiss mushrooms, seafood, and spices—into the pot and cook them. The resulting broth was so rich in flavor that it could not be obtained by cooking one or two ingredients separately.
As for the hot pot table with a natural style, it was made by Leaf—the Heart of the Forest can make plants grow quickly according to her wishes, and can form the appearance Roland needs without additional processing. Its interior is covered with a heat-insulating coating, so even if an alcohol lamp is lit, it will not burn the table. On the contrary, the temperature of the inner wall will slowly spread to the entire tree stump, and you can feel the warm warmth by sticking your hands to the table.
When Andrea put a piece of cooked meat into her mouth, the rich and intense taste made her hum involuntarily.
The freshness of dozens of ingredients repeatedly impacted her tongue, and the hot soup flowed down her throat into her stomach. This feeling was the opposite of ice cream bread, but it was equally irresistible.
According to the dining etiquette of the nobles, you should finish the food on your plate before taking new food, but the new thing created by His Majesty obviously cannot be eaten like this, otherwise you can only watch others scoop up all the dishes.
The sisters at the same table were not much more elegant, or rather, the way of eating hot pot is destined to be incompatible with elegance. Even in front of Tilly, there were several plates of scalded delicacies neatly arranged, and Ashes even scooped the spoon in front of her several times.
"Original taste is the essence of food... Don't put anything in it, the soup cooked out is closer to the original taste. Who said these things?" The Extraordinary One imitated her tone and said, "I remember someone who regarded refined salt and spices as barbaric cooking methods, and the real nobles would never bother with this way. How is it different from what I see?"
If it were before, Andrea might have argued a few words, or even felt a little heartbroken, but now, she has understood what is most important.
Seizing the time to enjoy them is more meaningful than adding to the argument.
She glanced at Ashes indifferently, and unceremoniously pushed away the other's spoon, putting the tumbling slices of meat into her bowl.
This time, Andrea ate to her heart's content.